Police in Clifton, New Jersey, are searching for two suspects after they say a resident was robbed at gunpoint, then briefly kidnapped and dumped at a local park, where he was pistol-whipped. 

The attack on the 25-year-old man, who was walking near Lincoln Avenue and 5th Street shortly after midnight Monday, appeared random, according to police. 

Police said a vehicle began trailing the victim, and then a man with a handgun got out and took the victim's money and cellphone, NJ Advance Media first reported. 

The gunman and an accomplice inside the vehicle then drove the victim to Weasel Brook Park, off Clinton Avenue, and the gunman struck him in the head with a gun, police said. 

He was held inside the vehicle for less than five minutes, according to police. 

The victim walked home and called police. He had a minor injury and didn't require medical treatment, police said. 

Neighbors say the area is safe and the robbery isn't deterring them from their normal activities. Tommy Figueroa told NBC 4 New York there are always children playing in the park, and he has never seen suspicious activity when he walks his dog around the park at night. 

"I feel pretty safe walking around here," he said. 

The driver was described as a man in his 20s with a wool cap, and the gunman was described as between 30 and 35 years old, clean-shaven and wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a black jacket. 

Chaos and confusion ensued in a suburban Philadelphia borough under county investigation, as the borough’s embattled leader spent the night holed up in the borough hall – doing business through a cracked window – to protect what she claims are crucial documents.

“I had to protect the records here, I had to protect the finances,” Colwyn Borough manager Paula Brown told NBC10 investigative reporter Harry Hairston.

Brown’s barricade came after four members of the town’s seven-member council voted to remove both Brown and council president Paul Meuser --  after Meuser adjourned Thursday night’s meeting, which featured screaming matches and arguments between council members and residents over money.

Brown claims the vote to oust her was illegal. She responded by remaining in the Delaware County, Pennsylvania borough hall overnight.

“Why don’t you shut her up!” “no, no, no!” and a slew of profanities could be heard as Meuser adjourned Thursday’s meeting.

“I’m council president,” said Meuser after the meeting. “We made a motion to adjourn and what they did is illegal.”

Fred Lesher, a former Brown and Meuser ally, begged to differ and declared himself new leader of council. After the meeting, Brown could be seen screaming at Lesher until Brown stormed off.

“We actually got rid of a factional council that was causing lots of trouble,” said Lesher.

"I'm gonna tell you right now that there are people right here in the street that are going to vote you the heck out, including myself," said Lesher during the meeting.

Lesher, who serves a finance chair, suggested the elimination of the borough manager position -- instead replacing it with separate treasurer and office administrator positions.

Not every council member agreed with Lesher’s opinion of Brown.

Borough public safety chair Jesse Brundage could be seen handing McDonald’s breakfast to Brown through a borough hall window Thursday. “Did you get me a straw?” Brown joked.

Speaking through the window, Brown said she had work to do.

“I am boxing up files for the District Attorney and then I’m going to pay some bills because the council did vote to pass the bills last night.”

Brown remained in the hall throughout the day. She said the borough hall would be open if any residents had business to do Friday.

It wasn’t clear if the vote to remove Brown was legal or not. County investigators came to the borough Friday to remove boxes of documents – presumably the ones Brown swore to protect.

Brown said she would only stop running the borough if a judge said so. She eventually left the locked building shortly before 6 p.m. Friday.

Brown said she needed a shower so she decided to leave. She also said she still plans to show up to work Monday.

For years, the NBC10 Investigators have covered political unrest in Colwyn including allegations of “back room” funding deals and even Brown saying her tires were slashed after she spoke out against the fire department.

Some businesses are poised to cash in during the Pope's visit to Philadelphia, especially those closest to the action. But with tight security and 2-million extra people in town, the biggest challenge may be figuring out how to get employees in for work.

"There's just so much to consider," said Mickey Rowley with SkyBrunch at Top of the Tower.

On Sundays, SkyBrunch on the 50th floor at 1717 Arch Street offers breakfast made to order and sweeping views of Center City. It's a prime location to serve the pope's followers, who Rowley hopes will come hungry as they pack The Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept. 27 when Pope Francis says Mass.

Logistically, he and partner Lou Kochman just have to make it all work.

"Getting staff in? We're actually talking to the building and the building's fitness center about making their showers available so we can have staff on blowup mattresses in-house and ready to work," said Rowley. "We're not interested in paying the hotel rates and there aren't very many rooms available."

The Embassy Suites in Center City, which is now sold out, can demand well over $500 per night. The hotel is the only one within feet of the Basilica and every room has a balcony. It's proximity to the action means traditional guests won't be the only ones occupying the hotel.

"All of the rooftops will be secured with the Secret Service," said Rodney Gooden the hotel's general manager.

Streets around the hotel will be shut down so the hotel is warning guests, "We're saying, 'Don't bring your cars!'"

The Cheltenham Township Police Department is undergoing its annual firearm training starting Friday and continuing for the next four weeks.

The training and qualifications program is required by Pennsylvania in order for police to retain their certification.

Residents who live in the eastern side of town should expect to hear gunfire during daylight hours, according to police.

Authorities warn the gunfire will sound throughout the township and residents should not be startled if some days the gunshots seem louder than others.

For more information, residents can contact the township police department at 215-885-1600.  

After two Philadelphia juries failed to reach a verdict in 12 months, the District Attorney's Office announced Friday it would not retry Rev. Andrew McCormick, a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy almost 18 years ago in a Bridesburg parish.

Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kemp, backed by key members of her office's sex-crimes unit, announced the decision in a brief hearing before Common Pleas Court Judge Gwendolyn N. Bright.

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While approving the dismissal, Bright told Kemp and defense attorney Trevan Borum that she wanted her gag order barring them or the parties, including McCormick, from commenting obeyed until April 16.

Both Kemp and Borum said they would speak after the order is lifted.

The dismissal of charges means an end to the threat of prison for the 58-year-old McCormick, a priest since 1982.

But it is also unlikely McCormick will return to a parish any time soon.

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Before he was criminally charged in July 2012, McCormick had been suspended in March 2011 from the Sacred Heart parish near Bridgeport. He and 26 other Catholic priests were suspended by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for possible inappropriate conduct with children.

McCormick now lives near Pottstown in Montgomery County.

At his first trial last year, in which McCormick testified in his defense, it was revealed that he had been twice reprimanded for allowing boys in his private rooms.

McCormick also admitted in the first trial that he was among priests investigated in 2004 by a Philadelphia County grand jury for questionable conduct with minors.

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Though the judge instructed both juries they could legally return a guilty verdict based solely on the testimony of the alleged victim, now 27, neither jury seemed able to overcome the lack of evidence corroborating his allegations.

The second trial jury hung on March 11.

McCormick's was charged with five counts: involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, child endangerment, corruption of a minor, and indecent assault of a minor under 13.

The alleged victim told about a 1997 incident in McCormick's bedroom in the rectory of the St. John Cantius church in Bridesburg in which the priest tried to force him commit a sex act.

Pennsylvania residents who have trouble paying their heating bills will now have until May 1 to apply for financial assistance through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), according to the DHS.

The federally-financed program provides assistance in the form of cash grants to households in immediate danger of being without heat.

April triggers shut-off ability for utility companies, which are barred from turning off utilities during the winter months of December through March. Up to 400 customers are being sent shut off notices each day now, according to PECO. Approximately 145,000 cusomters are more than 30 days late on their bills, but PECO says that number is down 10-percent from last year.

Given the plunging temperatures the Philadelphia region endured this winter, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the application deadline will be extended for an additional month.

“Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable were able to heat their homes this winter because of LIHEAP,” Wolf said in a statement. “By keeping the program open longer, we hope to provide additional assistance to those who are struggling to keep their family warm.”

Homeowners, renters and subsidized housing tenants may be eligible for assistance, as long as their annual household income does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty income.

Customers can apply for a LIHEAP grant online or by contacting the assistance office at 1-866-857-7095. For more information, visit www.dhs.state.pa.us.

A veteran New Jersey police officer collapsed and died at the police station Friday morning.

Manchester Township Police remembered Patrolman Scott Thompson as a family man and dedicated officer who served New Jersey residents for nearly three decades.

“Scott was a kind, dedicated officer and family man,” said Manchester Township Police Chief Lisa Parker. “He loved his family and his fellow officers… We all loved Scott and he will be missed terribly.”

Thompson, who joined the township’s force in 1999 collapsed while exercising at police headquarters in the Ocean County town. He later died Community Medical Center, said police.

Thompson, who left behind a wife, Tracy, and daughters, Kelsey and Sydney, was just 47 years old.

He earned many accolades in his 15-plus years with the township’s police force including a 2014 Meritorious Service Award. Thompson was due to be promoted to the rank of corporal. That honor will now be bestowed upon Thompson posthumously.

He began his career in law enforcement as teenager, serving as a Special Officer in Seaside Park in 1986. He graduated from the county academy in 1987 and became a full-time patrolman or South Toms River in 1988. I later served as a member of the Lakehurst Police and Manchester/Lakehurst Emergency Response Team.

“Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers,” said Parker.

Funeral plans are pending.

A woman is dead and two people were hurt, including a firefighter, after a blaze ripped through a Newark, Delaware apartment Friday.

The woman became trapped in the Possum Park Apartments, located along Route 2, by heavy flames and smoke as crews worked to extinguish the fire, officials said.

Dozens of fire trucks were on the scene, responding to a call that come through around 11 a.m., according to authorities.

No word yet on the victim's identity. The firefighter suffered burns and was taken to Christiana Hospital for treatment. He was later released.

The other injured person, a woman who broke her leg jumping from the burning apartment building, remains hospitalized at Christiana, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $250,000 in damage, is under investigation.

Jim Kenney is hard at work as he tries to become Philadelphia’s next mayor but that doesn’t mean the Democratic candidate can’t still appreciate some music from one of his favorites in his rare down time.

Kenney apparently stayed up late Thursday night to see superstar Madonna perform alongside Philadelphia’s The Roots on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

Fallon, you cray. Madonna, you still my hero! Always!

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— Jim Kenney (@JimFKenney) April 10, 2015

The Roots performance featured a grill-wearing Madonna, Fallon and the guys from Philly all playing children’s instruments while wearing Hawaiian shirts as they performed the “Material Girl’s” 1980s classic "Holiday."

Madonna also sat down for an interview with Fallon, did some stand-up (yes, comedy) and performed her new hit "B----, I’m Madonna" with Diplo (another guy with Temple roots who started DJing while attended Temple University) while running and dancing through the backstage area, onto Fallon’s desk and into crowd.

The Madonna takeover late night on NBC10 brought joy to Kenney – a longtime fan.

“He thought last night's performance was fantastic,” said campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt.

A group of men and women jumped out of a minivan and brutally beat a man using weapons like a hammer, Mace and a piece of wood at a North Philadelphia gas station earlier this week. The entire attack was caught on surveillance video and police are searching for those responsible.

The 51-year-old man was standing outside the convenience store at the Sunoco gas station at 5338 N. 5th Street in the Olney section of the city just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday when he was attacked, police said.

Surveillance video shows a gray Honda Odyssey minivan pull into the gas station and after the doors fling open and six people rush to attack the man. Punches and hits to the head with a hammer and other tools sends the man, who was dressed in a gray hoodie, to the concrete.

Once on the ground, several of the attackers stomp on his head, kick him in the face and continue using the tools to wail on him. The assault lasts for some 30 seconds while other patrons watch nearby.

Immediately following the beating, one of the women involved grabs a young boy from the minivan and pulls him over to look down on the injured man, surveillance video shows. She, and the others, then get back into the vehicle and drive off.

The victim was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center in critical condition with severe head injuries. He remains hospitalized, police said.

Following the beating, officers at the hospital recognized the minivan and found two women inside — 24-year-old Shareena Joachim and 34-year-old Aleathea Gillard. Both were arrested and charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possessing Instruments of Crime and related offenses, police said. Attorney information was not immediately available for the women.

Detectives are still searching for the other people involved in the attack. Anyone with information is asked to call the police tipline at 215.686.TIPS.

A longtime employee of the Delaware County District Attorney's Office forged signatures and stole more than $100,000 in forfeiture funds to pay for personal items like concert tickets and credit card bills, prosecutors allege.

Mary Lynch, the DA Office's Financial Administrator, has been charged in the scheme which Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan says was uncovered during an unrelated investigation.

Described as a trusted member of the office who worked there for 29 years, Lynch allegedly created and altered court documents, forged judge's names and concealed cash through her office, according to investigators.

More than $100,000 was taken over a period of years, prosecutors said.

Using the money, Lynch made six payments to her American Express credit card totaling $67,232, an investigation found.

She attended a February Philadelphia Flyers game, sitting in front-row seats worth nearly $600 a pop, and got into concerts for Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift using the money, according to the criminal complaint. Cash withdrawals from ATMs also went into her pockets, they allege.

Lynch admitted to the theft, but couldn't say how long it had been going on, officials said. She is charged with Theft, Identity Theft and Forgery and related felony offenses.

Her bail was set at $100,000.

A 4-year-old boy was taken to a city children's hospital after being hit by a Philadelphia Police cruiser Friday night, police tell NBC10.

The boy was hit around 8:30 p.m. after he darted out from between two cars along the 6300 block of Leonard Street in the Mayfair section of the city, police said.

Paramedics took the child to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children with nonlife threatening injuries, police said.

The department's Accident Investigation Division is investigating.

A whooping cough outbreak in the Radnor Township School District has spread to four more children this week, district officials say.

Seven high school students have been diagnosed with pertussis, the formal name for the respiratory infection, since March 20. District officials said four of those confirmed cases were reported between Monday and Thursday.

An eighth student, who attends Radnor Middle School, came down with the infection in February, administrators said.

The highly-contagious disease gets its name from the whooping sound a person makes during violent coughing fits. The bacterial infection, which is preventable through a vaccine, usually begins with cold-like symptoms before the coughing fits begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It typically affects young children and infants.

District officials said six of the seven high school students were vaccinated against the illness. However, vaccines are not always 100 percent effective.

Out of the entire Radnor High School student body, seven teens are exempt from vaccination for medical, religious or philosophical reasons, officials said.

The district has stepped up cleaning efforts within the high school to prevent the disease from spreading. They are also working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to monitor the outbreak.

Schools in Pennsylvania are required to report the immunization status of all students to the Department of Health yearly so officials can ascertain potential immunity weaknesses when an outbreak happens. An NBC10 investigation found that system was flawed and officials say they're now working to fix the problem.

Radnor school administrators are asking parents to keep an eye out for symptoms like a runny nose, coughing spells and vomiting for the next two weeks.